Humanity in Action Fellowship in Detroit

Program Description

The Humanity in Action Fellowship in Detroit explores the biography of Detroit –– a city deeply emblematic of the tensions of massive urban, economic and cultural change in 20th and 21st century America.

The Detroit Fellowship brings together a group of 22 university students and young professionals from Detroit, elsewhere in Michigan, the United States and Europe. Over four weeks, the Fellows take part in an immersive educational program that examines the promise, failure and possibilities of social and economic progress in Detroit.

The Fellows meet with community leaders and expert observers to discuss the most critical issues in Detroit, including equitable development, labor and employment, racism and diversity, social entrepreneurship, immigration, health disparities and transportation. Humanity in Action tasks the Fellows to challenge their assumptions about race, class, development, health and equity among other fundamental issues.

The Humanity in Action Fellowship in Detroit is launching on a monumental anniversary for the city – the 50th anniversary of the 1967 rebellion. The anniversary provides an important opportunity for the Fellows to observe how a city confronts its history and charters a path toward greater equality.

The Fellows spend several days at three of Metropolitan Detroit’s landmark cultural institutions –– the Detroit Institute of Arts, the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History and the Arab American National Museum. The three institutions are modeling institutional leadership for the Fellows by confronting the history of 1967 and by reimagining their roles and responsibility in city of great need.

The 2017 Humanity in Action Fellowship in Detroit was built upon the model of the Philanthropy and Social Enterprise Fellowship, a 2015 research program for Humanity in Action Senior Fellows. It joins Humanity in Action’s John Lewis Fellowship in Atlanta as the second U.S.-based annual program, along with annual European programs in Amsterdam, Berlin, Copenhagen, Sarajevo and Warsaw.

July 9

Geography of Detroit

The city of Detroit is spread across a sprawling 139.1 square mile landscape in Southeast Michigan. Observers often note that the cities of San Francisco, Boston and the borough of Manhattan could all fit together within Detroit. The Detroit metropolitan region is ten times larger than the city itself –– 1,327.1 square miles. Witnessing the sheer size of Detroit is fundamental for understanding the city –– and its development, diversity and inequalities. We begin the Humanity in Action Fellowship in Detroit on the ground by exploring the city’s changing landscape mile after mile, discussing perceptions of Detroit and other cities, and visiting meaningful sites, such as Lafayette Park, the Cass Corridor and the Fisher Building.

3:00pm - 6:30pm: City Tour and Discussions: The Geography of Detroit (Alex B. Hill, Food Access Program Manager and Epidemiologist, Department of Health, City of Detroit)

July 10

The Changing Demographics in Detroit

In 1950, over 1.8 million people lived in Detroit. By 2010, the population had dropped to 713,000 – diminished by nearly half that of 60 years before. In 1950, whites made up 84% of the population. By 2010, the racial makeup of the city flipped – with 83% black and 11% white. In 1960, Detroit was the wealthiest city per capita in the United States. In 2013, it became the largest city to file for municipal bankruptcy in American history. On the third day of the Fellowship, we will examine Detroit’s evolving demographic and economic realities since the early 20th century. We will speak with two expert observers: a population research scientist who has mapped Detroit’s demographics, and a writer and artist – a self-described “primordial Detroiter” – who has borne witness to a half century of change in the city.

July 11

Industrialization and the Growth of Detroit

In the early 20th century, the growth of Detroit was nearly synonymous with the growth of the United States. Henry Ford introduced the Model T in 1908 and the “$5-a-day” wage in 1914. With these steps, Ford revolutionized the American suburban landscape and bolstered an emerging middle class. The inventions of Ford and his contemporaries transformed Detroit and brought immense wealth to the city and greater Southeast Michigan. The Fellowship will explore the city’s growth from its early history through industrialization and its emergence as “the Motor City.” We will also touch upon the paradox of Ford’s contributions to American society – how a man who advanced the careers of immigrants and African Americans also pitted minorities against one another in his factories and published virulently anti-Semitic newsletters. Finally, we will begin to look at the decline of the manufacturing giant and devastation and reinvention in Southeast Michigan.

Location: Detroit Historical Museum (5401 Woodward Avenue)

9:30am - 9:45am: Introduction to the Day

9:45am - 11:30am: Guided Tour of Three Exhibits: "Streets of Old Detroit", "America's Motor City" and "Frontiers to Factories: Detroiters at Work, 1701-1901"

July 12

Labor, Gender and Mobility in Detroit

In 1935, over 200 automotive workers from factories across the United States convened in Detroit to establish the United Automobile Workers of America (UAW) – the largest and most influential union in U.S. manufacturing. Detroit’s economic history is entwined with the emergence of labor unions as a major force in U.S. business and progressive politics. The UAW and other unions fought for fundamental worker’s rights, workplace safety and the wages that supported middle class families. Through a tour of Detroit with the Michigan Labor History Society, we will examine Big Labor’s role in the economic and social development of the city, the declining influence of unions and the leadership of women in the movement. We will then turn to questions of economic mobility, race and employment in Detroit just prior to the 1967 rebellion.

6:00pm - 8:00pm: Optional, Independently Organized Event: Detroit Public Library Author Series: Aaron Foley, author of How To Live In Detroit Without Being A Jackass

July 13

Race, Gender and Mobility in Detroit

Detroit is impossible to understand without confronting racial injustice as the fundamental stain on American democracy. From the transatlantic slave trade to the Civil War, from the Great Migration to the Civil Rights Movement, and from racist federal housing policies to late 20th century urban disinvestment –– the African American struggle for freedom and equality has shaped Detroit. We will begin discussing Detroit’s racial history at the monumental Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History. Founded in 1965 by Dr. Charles H. Wright, a black physician, the Museum is now playing a leading role in a city-wide effort to commemorate and draw lessons from the 50th anniversary of the 1967 rebellion. The Fellowship’s discussions at the Wright Museum will focus on the social inequalities and lack of economic mobility that led to the rebellion of black Detroiters, as well as the critical leadership of African American women in Detroit.

July 14

The 1967 Rebellion & Its 50th Anniversary

Early in the morning on July 23, 1967, the Detroit Police raided an unlicensed drinking club at 12th Street and Claremont Avenue. The officers happened upon a party of over 80 black Detroiters celebrating the return of two GIs. Detroiters have disagreed on what to call the violence that ensued in late July 1967. Many have called it a riot. Increasingly, however, historians and institutions are using the term “rebellion.” Charles Ferrell of the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History told the Detroit Free Press that “the word ‘riot’ denotes that people are criminals…And it takes away the political responsibility of addressing certain underlying conditions that cause people to respond.” Upon the 50th anniversary, the Fellowship will examine the conditions which led to the rebellion and think critically about their implications. We will view the Detroit Historical Museum’s major exhibit on ‘67 prior to its opening and meet with two witnesses to the unrest.

3:30pm - 5:30pm: Memories of 1967: Discussing the History of the Detroit Rebellion (Jamon Jordan, educator and historian, and Marsha Music, author)

Location: Michigan Science Center (5020 John R St, Detroit)

5:30 - 10:00pm: Optional, Independently Organized Event: Live Music at the John R. Stage (Presented by Detroit Institute of Arts, The Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History and Michigan Science Center)

July 17

Witnessing a Changing Society at the Detroit Institute of Art

The Detroit Institute of Arts is home to one of the most celebrated collections of art in the United States. Established in 1883, the DIA benefitted from the patronage of the giants of the auto industry, especially Edsel and Eleanor Ford. The museum includes works by Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, Claude Monet, Andy Warhol, Georgia O'Keeffe, Alexander Calder, Paul Cézanne and Auguste Rodin. We will make several visits to the DIA to explore the city’s cultural heritage as well as representations of a changing American society and economy witnessed through the museum’s collections. We will begin in Rivera Court by viewing Diego Rivera’s “Detroit Industry” murals (1932-33), which depict labor, machinery and humanity during the city’s industrial development.

July 18

Immigration and Diversity in Detroit

Since before the First World War, Detroit’s manufacturing industry has attracted immigrants from around the world. Immigrants came to Detroit from Central and Eastern Europe, southern European countries such as Greece and Italy, the Middle East and from Mexico and Puerto Rico. In exploring the impact of immigration in Detroit, the Fellowship will focus on the experiences of Latinos and Arab Americans. We will begin in Southwest Detroit, home to Mexican Town, a community that acts as host to many Detroiters of Latino descent. We will then look at diversity, power and privilege within our own cohort through a special workshop in the afternoon. Our discussions will take place at the Matrix Theatre Company, a theatrical organization with a social justice mission.

July 19

Transportation & Health in Detroit: Access and Disparities

Detroit, affectionately known as “Motown,” a portmanteau of motor and town, is the largest American city without some form of a commuter rail service. In the late 19th century, streetcars operated on more than 60 miles of track both within and outside the city’s limits. Today, however, Detroit boasts a vastly different transportation narrative. We will dedicate this day to Detroit's infrastructure. We will also take part in an experiential learning exercise across several neighborhoods about disparities in health and transportation access in Detroit.

July 20

Community Development, Poverty and the Question of "Urban Revitalization"

Countless mayoral administrations, private developers, foundations and community groups have advanced plans for the economic revitalization of Detroit over many years. Urban revitalization - just like its cousin urban renewal – has produced unfulfilled expectations. The decades-long process has raised many questions. Whom does revitalization serve? How do major development projects tackle poverty, health and education? Is revitalization, in actuality, a process of minority displacement? Who is involved in the planning process? Our Fellowship will examine these questions, paying particular attention to the role of philanthropy. We will visit Cass Community Social Services - an important organization that provides a model for development strategies that invest in talent that leaders in Detroit often forget.

July 21

Beyond Detroit: Flint and the Lead Water Crisis

The story of Flint, Michigan, is not wholly unlike the story of Detroit. In 1908, former Buick automobile manager William C. Durant established General Motors (GM) and opened the company's headquarters in Flint. Flint's prosperous automotive industry attracted other entrepreneurs, including Louis Chevrolet of the Chevrolet Motor Car Company, and later brought workers from around the world seeking opportunity. As the city developed, it grew divided along stark racial, ethnic and economic lines. In our Fellowship’s visit to Flint, we will examine this history as the origins of today’s water crisis as well as the strategies of Flint residents today to seek justice.

6:00pm: Optional, Independently Organized Event: City to City Event: Film Screening of "Whose Street" (Sabaah Folayan on the Ferguson Rebellion)

July 23

Day Off

Location: Gordon Park (9125 Rosa Parks Boulevard, Detroit)

11:00am - 9:00pm: Optional, Independently Organized Event: 1967 Community Commemoration: A historic marker dedication presented by the Detroit Historical Society, a performance of Dominique Morisseau's "Detroit 67" by Detroit Public Theatre and a community art project by Wayne State University Art Galleries.

July 24

Urban & Suburban Disparities in Health in Metropolitan Detroit

After examining Detroit’s economic inequalities in housing, capital, food and transportation, we will turn our attention to health issues. The disparities in access to healthcare among certain demographic groups present an alarming reality of inequality in Detroit. We will meet with community healthcare experts and practitioners from across Southeast Michigan to understand how crossing from one community to another can have startling consequences for your health. We will also meet with an executive of the Henry Ford Health System, one of the largest healthcare providers in Southwest Michigan, and visit a small clinic operated out of a high school in River Rouge. We will end the day with a special discussion with filmmaker Kathyrn Bigelow about her new film on the 1967 Rebellion.

7:00pm - 8:30pm: Chips and Conversation on "Detroit" film (Kathryn Bigelow and members of the cast and moderator Stephen Henderson, Detroit Free Press)

July 25

Unequal Development in Detroit: Food and Justice

In recent years, food production and access to healthy food in Detroit have garnered national attention. Researchers have called Detroit a “food desert,” remarking on the lack of reasonably-priced grocery stores within city limits. On the other hand, national media and urbanists have flocked to Detroit’s burgeoning urban farms to examine at the prospects for agriculture in the city’s vacant lots. Our Fellowship will explore these two related factors in Detroit and will tease out the nuances of how many Detroiters are expanding agricultural production and access to healthy foods for communities across the city. We will meet with two leaders who are advancing food justice and the empowerment of minority and female food entrepreneurs in the city. In the late afternoon, we will meet with the directors of the Charles H. Wright Museum and the Arab American National Museum for a discussion on how the arts can bridge social divides at this time of great polarization. In the evening, we will attend the world premiere of Kathryn Bigelow’s “Detroit” at the historic Fox Theatre as guests of the Charles H. Wright Museum.

July 26

Metropolitan Detroit is home to one of the largest populations of people of Middle Eastern origins, mainly Arabs and Chaldeans. In our Fellowship’s second day on immigration, we will visit Dearborn, a city just outside of Detroit. Dearborn was once the home of Henry Ford and is the headquarters of the Ford Motor Company. Today, Arab Americans represent more than 40% of Dearborn residents. The Detroit Free Press has called Dearborn “the center of Arab-American life in the U.S.” We will visit the Arab American National Museum and the Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services (ACCESS), the largest Arab American organization in the United States. We will also discuss Islamophobia with a Humanity in Action Senior Fellow and visit the majestic Islamic Center of North America.

11:30am - 12:00pm: Discussion: The Arab American Community in Metropolitan Detroit (Petra Alsoofy, Educator, Arab American National Museum, David Serio, Educator and Public Programming Specialist, Arab American National Museum)

1:00pm - 2:00pm: Confronting Islamophobia in Our Communities (Nick Micinski, City University of New York Graduate Center, Humanity in Action Senior Fellow)

July 27

Unequal Development in Detroit: Housing and Capital

Today, commercial and residential developers are showing renewed interest in Detroit. As developers are renovating properties in Midtown and Downtown for high-end customers, the housing and rental market is tightening. Prices are up and the stock of affordable rentals has declined. Following our discussions on July 20 about community development and revitalization, we will examine development projects and housing issues in Detroit. Our sessions will include a conversation on the critical history of racist federal housing policy in cities like Detroit. We will also meet with a major real estate developer and philanthropist whose firm owns the landmark Fisher Building. In the afternoon, we will speak with two Humanity in Action Senior Fellows via video conference who are working on affordable housing and healthcare issues in Seattle on two Humanity in Action professional fellowships.

July 28

Entrepreneurship, Technology and the New Economy

Many observers are looking to Detroit’s entrepreneurs and tech firms to create new markets to enable the city’s economic recovery. Entrepreneurial drive and technological innovation are legacies of this city – one build upon industrial invention. But, even as the Detroit attracts new talent and ideas, questions remain about equity and inclusion in Detroit’s new entrepreneurial ecosystem. Who benefits from tech in Detroit? What makes a social enterprise social? In exploring Detroit’s future economy, we will also examine emerging trends in economics and technology more broadly –– namely automation and robotics. After discussions with two entrepreneurs, we will meet with the head of the Bertelsmann Foundation, a German-American philanthropic think tank, which is studying the human and social impact of economic growth in the digital age.

1:00pm - 10:00pm: Optional, Independently Organized Event: Detroit Home Movies Marathon: Detroit Home Movies is a year-long project to uncover and exhibit home movies made around 1967 that depict everyday life in Detroit's diverse communities. The project, a partnership of the Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit Free Press, Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, Wayne State University’s Walter P. Reuther Library of Labor and Urban Affairs, Detroit Historical Society and Bridge magazine, is dedicated to observing and reflecting on the 50th anniversary of Detroit's 1967 rebellion.

July 30

Day Off

July 31

Arts and Community: The Detroit Institute of Arts and the Boggs Center

Art has always acted as a fuel for cultural change. The Detroit Institute of Art is a prime example of how art can ignite a community and stimulate change. First, we will visit the DIA's “Art of Rebellion: Black Art of the Civil Rights Movement" exhibition. Then we will proceed to discussing Detroit’s "Grand Bargain." On July 18, 2013, Detroit filed for Bankruptcy, making it the nation's largest municipal bankruptcy. Detroit’s then emergency manager offered a controversial bankruptcy exit strategy to sell the city-owned art collection located at the DIA to settle the city’s looming debt. However, the people of Detroit, local philanthropists, and numerous foundations had other plans. The joint efforts raised over $800 million, which allowed the art to stay put. Lastly, we visit the Boggs Center for a discussion on community organizing in Detroit and the legacy of James and Grace Boggs.

11:15am - 1:15pm: "Art and Community in Detroit: Detroit's Bankruptcy, the Grand Bargain, Community Engagement and the Detroit Institute of Art" (Jennifer Czajkowski, Vice President, Learning and Audience Engagement, Detroit Institute of Arts and Robert Bowen, CFO, Detroit Institute of Arts)

Location: James and Grace Lee Boggs Center to Nurture Community Leadership

3:00pm - 6:00pm: Community Organizing in Detroit and the Legacy of James and Grace Boggs (Richard Feldman, Board Member, the Boggs Center)

August 1

Public Policy and the Future of Michigan

On the second to last day of the Detroit Fellowship, we will again turn to public policy and issues of diversity and equity. We will meet with three elected officials from diverse backgrounds who are advancing social justice on the urban and state level through public policy in Detroit and Lansing, the state capitol. We will also meet with a Humanity in Action staff member who is a city council member of a Dutch municipality and with the former director of Detroit’s Health Department.

Supporters

The 2017 Humanity in Action Fellowship in Detroit is generously supported by the RNR Foundation, the Germeshausen Foundation, the Charles D. and Mary A. Bauer Foundation, the Stavros Niarchos Foundation and the Knight Fund of the Community Foundation of Southeast Michigan. The participation of Greek Fellows in Humanity in Action Fellowship programs is generously supported by the Stavros Niarchos Foundation.

This publication does not represent an expression of opinion by the fellowship's supporters. The authors bear responsibility for the content.